I had a riding lesson yesterday everything was going well. I learned how to post on the correct diagnol, learned a bit about different kinds of bits and it was overall a great lesson. My instructor and I headed on the trails afterwards to work on posting at the trot and just to have some fun. After a little bit, my saddle started to slip to the side. I figured it was just because we were making sharp turns, which was my first mistake. I fixed it and it was all straight. After 10 more minutes or so, my saddle was really slipping. I called out to my instructor and told her. When she looked back I was on the side of the horse and fell off instantly. I made another mistake by not grabbing the reins, but everything happened so fast. I didn't even think about it. The horse took off, but soon stopped. I felt so embarrassed when my riding instructor was putting the saddle back on. I guess it could've been worse. I could've gotten my boot stuck in the stirrup, but that's why I have roper style boots. They can just slip off.

I felt really stupid afterwards and I can't get it off my mind. I don't even know how the saddle slipped. I double checked the girth and it was tight before I got on..

So tell me about your first fall. I got to make myself feel better somehow. haha

Like Sunny said, don't beat yourself up, it happens to all of us! I've been riding on my own since I could walk, so about 30 years and my last one was this past fall. I'm sure there will be more

I don't remember my first (it's been a very long time ago) but do remember an early one to share. I was probably 7 and was trying to perfect cantering on my mare so I could step up to w/t/c classes. My mom was preaching about me riding with my toes sticking out too far and sure enough I learned my lesson. I was riding along the rail of the outdoor arena, which at that time was made of hog panels. I caught my boot in a panel and got ripped off my mare. Thank goodness for that old, dead broke mare, she stopped on a dime when I fell and just looked at me like "Hey kid, you're supposed to be up here, whatcha doin' down there?"

Life is like a camera. Focus on what's important, Capture the good times, Develop from the negatives and if things don't work out, Take another shot.

I had a REALLY bad fall like yours, I had to jump a jump at a diagnol then rollback, and the saddle started slipping at the roll back, then the mare started bucking and taking off and I got flung off to the side x[

First fall, was cantering my trainer's big ol', round warmblood bareback on a lunge line, he dropped his shoulder and off I slid.

I'm lying in the dirt with my wonderful child who is pointing and laughing, Mommy fell off the horse, Mommy fell off the horse!!

2nd fall, ummm.... see above. Yup, the very next time I rode him, same dang thing happened.

I'm walking into the barn with blood running down my scraped elbow to go clean up and my trainer's husband walks in. He was all, You didn't fall off again did you? Ummmm..... You fell off AGAIN!? Uh yeah....

I had a saddle slip on me once too. My trainer saddled the horse before I got there, I was loping along and all of a sudden, I was on the side of the horse. I have no idea how but I stayed on until the horse stopped, then hopped off. Trainer started shrieking about how awful I was at saddling a horse until I reminded her that SHE had saddled him that day. Realized what an awful trainer she was and found myself a new one.

First fall was when I was just starting out. Lesson horse had this awful habit of tripping to the point where you could time when he'd trip next. We were doing a faster trot, he tripped really violently, and slid over his head. He stopped on a dime with and eyed me as if "oh, yeah, beginners!"Posted via Mobile Device

I rode a shetland arab mix, who is speedy as all hell. I was riding her after a small trail ride along the land, getting used to her and the fact that I was in this big western which the stirrups were too long for me.

We go into the list [arena] and the person riding with me who owned the horse asked if I wanted to trot. I asked for it, and she did. I wasn't expecting such a big, bouncy trot, so I squeezed to hang on with my legs. Huge mistake.

She bolted. We had stantions still in the list [big wooden things that we use for horse games] and she swerved to the side to avoid it. After that, she just went in circles. I clung to the horn of the saddle. Destiny, the horse, just kept going in circles and circles at full speed while I held on for my life. Eventually, She sweved sharp enough that I slid to the side. She was getting closer and closer to the rail, which was the side I was on, and so I had to make a decision: Get repeatedly smacked and scraped by the rail, or do I let go?

I let go, got hit in the back of the head by the horse's hoof, and was scraped along the leg all the way up the side of my calf. After a whlie of being looked at and checked for signs of concussion, I saw the horse looking at me like: Huh? What are you doing down there?

She is a very sensitive horse, but I think she just overall LOVES to run. She took the bit with another person who was trying to joust-- he got the shield, she went running in circles : p

But yeah. Long story short, every accident has a lesson to it. Just be lucky you got what you got, and didn't have anything worse than what could have happened.

Just be safe, and as a personal rule, I always check the girth after doing a good warm up. I check it once, check it twice, go for a ride, hop off, and check it again.

It certainly is a good habit to check the girth multiple times so that doesn't happen.

It was my first lesson at this particular barn. I was just starting hunt seat lessons after getting done with saddleseat. So, they felt I would be most comfortable with a horse with very forward gaits, like I was used to. Furthermore, they felt that, since I said I'd been riding for 8 years, I could handle a more advanced horse.

What I got was Lace, a green paint/Arab mare. We were trotting 20-meter circles while my instructor chatted with my mom--who is pretty nervous about horses, by the way. Suddenly, Lace got over excited and took off cantering. And even though I'd been riding for years, I'd never ridden such an excitable horse before.. only quiet school horses. I didn't know how to stop her. I didn't know how to steer her, either. All I knew how to do was grab her mane. She galloped towards the wall and slid to a stop to avoid running into it. And that's when I flew over her shoulder into the wall. It didn't hurt that much at the time, though; the only thing I was thinking was "make sure mom doesn't think I'm hurt!"

Needless to say, looking back, I am ashamed. These days, I wouldn't dream about sitting so passively on a bolting horse's back. ;)

I'm only telling you this so you will feel better.
3 days ago I took a swan dive off my horse and bruised my whole left side. I learned my lesson, no more cantering bareback in a halter, and if I decide to ride in from the field, I will take a helmet and a bridle.
It happens to the best of us.

Thanks guys I knew I'd fall off eventually, but I wanted it to be less embarrassing. Now my instructor probably thinks I don't know how to put a saddle on.. I still don't get how it fell off. The girth was tight before the ride and now I'm afraid it will happen again.

I don't remember my first (it's been a very long time ago) but do remember an early one to share. I was probably 7 and was trying to perfect cantering on my mare so I could step up to w/t/c classes. My mom was preaching about me riding with my toes sticking out too far and sure enough I learned my lesson. I was riding along the rail of the outdoor arena, which at that time was made of hog panels. I caught my boot in a panel and got ripped off my mare. Thank goodness for that old, dead broke mare, she stopped on a dime when I fell and just looked at me like "Hey kid, you're supposed to be up here, whatcha doin' down there?"

I'm lying in the dirt with my wonderful child who is pointing and laughing, Mommy fell off the horse, Mommy fell off the horse!!

2nd fall, ummm.... see above. Yup, the very next time I rode him, same dang thing happened.

I'm walking into the barn with blood running down my scraped elbow to go clean up and my trainer's husband walks in. He was all, You didn't fall off again did you? Ummmm..... You fell off AGAIN!? Uh yeah....

Haha that is really funny(if you are alright) about your child laughing at you. Sometimes, you just got to laugh it off.

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